Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. It includes the promotion of health, the prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Nurses play a critical role in health care and are often the unsung heroes in health care facilities and emergency response. They are often the first to detect health emergencies and work on the front lines of disease prevention and the delivery of primary health care, including promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
In many countries, nurses make up half of all health care professionals and have a vital role in how health actions are organized and applied, both at the front-line and managerial levels. They are often the first and sometimes only health professional a patient will see and the quality of their initial assessment and subsequent care is vital to strong health outcomes.
Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. It includes the promotion of health, the prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Nurses play a critical role in health care and are often the unsung heroes in health care facilities and emergency response.
WHO recognizes the vital role that nurses play in primary health care delivery worldwide – including research, disease prevention, treating the injured, palliative care and more – which is represented through several World Health Assembly resolutions. These documents demonstrate the importance WHO Member States attach to nursing and midwifery services as a means of achieving better health for all communities.
Despite the critical role they play in health care, there is a shortage of nurses worldwide that is expected to rise as the population grows. Initiatives to expand health care services, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, are succeeding in providing access to previously underserved communities, which furthers the need for trained nurses. Every country needs a competent, motivated, well-distributed and supported health workforce as part of the global drive for universal health coverage, and nurses are central to these efforts.
